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Armatus Boss Fight Puts Its Roguelite Builds to the Test
Finding a powerful build is one thing, surviving long enough to prove it works against two Greater Demons at once is another. Counterplay Games and publisher Fictions have released new uninterrupted gameplay from Armatus, putting its combination of firearms, celestial powers and roguelite upgrades through a boss encounter against The Ghoul and The Surgeon.
Lead Producer Ryan Belmont introduces the encounter, which takes place as the supernatural warrior continues searching demon-infested Paris for the Sunless Gate. Rather than another montage, the footage runs through the confrontation uninterrupted and gives a clearer look at how a developed build holds together against a major threat.
It follows the 10-minute Gothic District showcase we previously examined in our extended Armatus gameplay coverage, which focused more heavily on exploration, normal combat encounters and the flow of an individual run.
The Ghoul and The Surgeon Were Not in the Earlier Demo
The latest encounter is also new territory for anyone who played Armatus during Steam Next Fest. Counterplay confirms that The Ghoul and The Surgeon were not available in the earlier demo, making this the first opportunity to see how that particular boss encounter unfolds. The developer presents the pair as one of several major fights awaiting players on the road towards the Sunless Gate.
Combat in Armatus combines a scythe with firearms and supernatural powers, with players collecting passive enhancements and celestial abilities as each run develops. Available combinations include weapons such as SMGs and shotguns alongside powers capable of unleashing holy fire or slowing time.
Those systems put buildcraft at the centre of the new footage. Players are not simply asked to memorise the duo’s attacks, but to make whatever weapons and powers they accumulated on the way work against two simultaneous threats.
That focus on builds and repeat mastery places Armatus alongside an increasingly competitive group of third-person roguelites, including Saros, whose own combat thrives on finding synergies between weapons and run-specific upgrades.
Armatus Launches January 7, 2027
Armatus launches on January 7, 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store. Fictions lists all four platforms on the game’s official page.
Physical editions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 will arrive alongside the digital launch. Counterplay and Fictions have also confirmed that the Switch 2 physical edition contains the game on the cartridge rather than using a Game-Key Card.
The Ghoul and The Surgeon therefore give us something more useful than another glimpse at ruined Paris. With less than two months until launch, the encounter starts answering the bigger question facing any roguelite: whether the build assembled during a run meaningfully changes how players survive its hardest fights.
